Nation: The Silent and Unsilent

The "silent majority" is becoming one of the Administration's catch
phrases. Richard Nixon appealed to it on Nov. 3 to stand by his war
policies. Its opposite, of course, is the unsilent minority, which
Spiro Agnew, who has been running regular Thursday-night beat-the-press
shows, defines as "an arrogant few" dissenters. Such constant reference
to that magic line of 51% of the peoplewhether friends above it or
opponents below itmay end up looking like a form of insecurity. After
the Senate rejected Judge Clement Haynsworth for the Supreme Court, the
President observed, naturally enough, "I deeply regret this action."
But then, as...